Workshop focus is Climate Action 2020

STAFF REPORT

STAFF REPORT | December 3, 2013

The Sonoma County Regional Climate Protection Authority (RCPA) will be holding a series of public workshops throughout Sonoma County communities to seek input on Climate Action 2020, a local program to reduce greenhouse gases (GHG) countywide and address climate impacts.

The Sonoma workshop will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 10, at the Sonoma Community Center, 276 E. Napa St., in Sonoma.

“Having a consistent countywide effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions is the right thing to do and we hope folks get involved in this exciting process,” said Supervisor Mike McGuire, RCPA board chair. “By joining together, we will develop the tools necessary to implement a regional plan that will tackle one of our toughest challenges, climate change.”

With the exception of Santa Rosa, which adopted a climate action plan in 2012, Climate Action 2020 will develop qualified climate action implementation plans for each community in Sonoma County. In 2005, Sonoma County communities adopted one of the most aggressive GHG reduction targets in the state, pledging to reduce GHG emission levels by 25 percent below 1990 levels by the year 2015.

A collaborative effort among all nine cities and the County, Climate Action 2020 will analyze progress toward the 2015 target, identify GHG reduction strategies, and create an implementation plan to reach reduction goals into 2020.

Strategies to reduce GHGs will be analyzed from community sources, including building energy (electricity and natural gas), transportation, water use and transport, waste, wastewater and agriculture. Additionally, a broad level of analysis on local climate impacts and adaptation strategies will be included.

The collaborative nature of Climate Action 2020 provides a consistent planning framework to address greenhouse gas emissions county-wide, and to use economies of scale to implement and track progress of the plan.

The first round of public outreach workshops will cover Climate Action 2020 goals, the planning process and overall schedule, as well as provide an opportunity for public input on strategies to reduce greenhouse gasses and address climate impacts in our communities. A presentation will be given 30 minutes after the start of each workshop and all interested members of the public are encouraged to attend.